What else is in season?

Deer hunting isn’t the only game in town this month

Deer hunting isn’t the only game in town this month. Here’s a list of what also opens this month, on private lands, in each state. For public lands and Youth Days, check the Hunting and Fishing Guide from each state.

South Carolina
Mourning Doves: Sept. 2-Oct. 5
Racoon and Opossum: Sept. 15-March 15 (guns and dogs)
Early Teal (blue and green winged): Sept. 14-Sept. 29
Canada Geese: Sept. 1-Sept. 30
Marsh Hens/Rails, Common Moorhens & Purple Gallinules: Sept. 18-Sept. 22.

North Carolina
Crow: Aug. 2-Feb. 22
Pheasant: Sept 2-Feb. 28 (Except barrier islands of Carteret, Dare, and Hyde Counties)
Mourning Dove: Sept. 2-Oct. 5
Rails: Sept. 2-Nov. 21
Gallinule/Moorhen: Sept. 2-Nov. 21
Teal: Sept. 12-Sept. 30
Canada Geese: Sept. 2-Sept. 30

Some game species have no closed seasons on private lands. Armadillos, coyotes, and wild hogs are among those that can be hunted year-round. See regulations booklets for more information.

What’s new?

Several new regulations are in effect for both North and South Carolina for the 2024-25 season. Two of the biggest changes are for South Carolina hunters.

As of this deer season, South Carolina hunters must report their harvests electronically through the GoOutdoorsSC app, or by calling or texting toll free 1-833-472-4263, or at GoOutdoorsSouthCarolina.com.

North Carolina hunters have already been electronically reporting their deer harvests for the past several years.

Another big change concerning South Carolina hunters is for the spring turkey hunting season. The season dates have been changed to April 3-May 3, statewide, and the limit has been lowered to two gobblers, with only one gobbler taken prior to April 10. The new regulation prohibits the harvest of jakes, as well as fanning or reaping on private lands statewide.

The biggest changes for North Carolina hunters are in relation to Chronic Wasting Disease. Another notable change is that hunters may now use dogs to hunt feral swine from Jan. 1-31 on Nantahala Game Land.

For a list of all the new regulations for the 2024-25 hunting and fishing seasons, look at Page 2 of South Carolina’s Hunting and Fishing Guide, and on Page 6 of North Carolina’s Inland Fishing, Hunting, and Trapping Regulations book.